Virtual Winterfolk Blues & Roots Festival Set for Feb. 19-20

Winterfolk, Toronto, Ontario’s annual blues and roots festival, will be streamed online, February 19-20, 2021 from 7-10 p.m. EST both nights due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The scaled-back virtual edition of the popular festival, now in its 19th year, will feature some of the artists who have previously graced its stages. Registration is free, although donations for the Daily Bread Foodbank will be accepted.

According to the festival’s organizers, “The musicians who make up the Winterfolk XIX lineup are thrilled to have the opportunity to play at our virtual festival. And that’ll be evident in the excellent virtual performances presented during the two nights of the festival.” Interviews with the artists will also be part of the virtual festivities.

Participating artists produced and submitted their own videos. The lineup for Friday night, Feb. 19 (in order of appearance) includes Donne Roberts, Mandy Goodhandy, Ken Whiteley, Q &A ((Tony Quarrington and Zoey Adams), Suzie Vinnick, and Julian Taylor. Slated to screen on Saturday night, Feb. 20 are pre-recorded performances by Melanie Peterson, Sue & Dwight, Laura Fernandez, Jack deKeyser, Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley, and Ariana Gillis.

“I’m very grateful to have been invited to be part of this year’s virtual festival,” said Suzie Vinnick, a three-time Juno-nominated roots & blues vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, who is also the recipient of 10 Maple Blues Awards and a Canadian Folk Music Award. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native, who now makes her home in Wainfleet in Ontario’s Niagara region, has previously played Winterfolk a number of times and appreciates how the festival took place at a bunch of venues on the Danforth — enabling attendees to walk to each of them to check out artists.

Although she regrets that the ongoing pandemic prevents that from happening this year, Vinnick looks forward to the virtual musical festivities. Noting that she has been streaming shows since the beginning of the pandemic (including a weekly online stream @ StreetJelly.com/suzievinnick since last spring), Vinnick said she sought to mix up her Winterfolk set with some of her fan favorites for new listeners and a few tunes that she doesn’t regularly play to shake things up a bit for those who are already familiar with her music.

Private credentials –- including login data and a password –- are required to view the virtual festival. They will be sent via email to those who register online at winterfolk.com. Additional information about the online event can also be found on the website.

Winterfolk seeks to entertain, educate and enlighten audiences about the various folk music styles — including roots, blues, folk, and more – and to engage and support the music community. A volunteer-fueled endeavor, Winterfolk is presented by The Association of Artists for a Better World, a registered nonprofit organization in the province of Ontario.